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Ask HN: What is the best way to display nested comments on mobile devices?

3 points by _448 5y ago

I am developing a responsive web app that has a commenting system. And I want to provide similar experience both to mobile and desktop users. So I was thinking of developing a commenting system where next level of comments are reached by clicking on a comment at current level. Something like the following: [content] <comments at top level (level 0)> [comment #0] [comment #1] : : [comment #N] When a user clicks on one of the comments, say "comment #1" then the next level of comments(i.e child comments of comment #1) are displayed as follows: [content] [comment #1] <child comments(level 1) for comment #1> [comment #10] [comment #11] : : [comment #1N] Do you see any problem with this approach? Is there a better way to display nested comments in a responsive web app that works both on desktop and mobile?

approxim8ion 5y ago
Have a look at some third party Reddit clients like Slide or Sync. I like the idea of all comments being expanded, but tapping or clicking on a particular comment to collapse its children.
- _448 5y ago
  I like nested comments too, but the screen realestate on mobile devices does not permit that; it can immediately become messy.
imhoguy 5y ago
The best way is the HN way ;) Reading and writing comments here, everyday for years, addicted me so much that I forgot this site UX is not perfect. KISS for v1 and first make sure the comment section content becomes valuable for your app users.
- _448 5y ago
  > The best way I think is how HN does it. How does HN comment thread look on mobile? Almost all HN readers are tech savvy, so it may not be an issue. What about users who are not that savvy?
dalmo3 5y ago
I really like how Premii[0] does it: minimal indentation, visual cues for thread depth, and ability to collapse current thread to any arbitrary level from any comment. The smooth scrolling is awful though. [0] https://hn.premii.com/#/comments/28385024 https://hn.premii.com/#/comments/28385024
- _448 5y ago
  How does this look on mobile?